Comments regarding Scout Gardening (aka Gardening How-To, National Home Gardening Club)

i too was suckered in by the false promises of this company. my bank account has been debited to the tune of 57.66 for a grand total of two magazines and a pair of loppers for membership in the lifetime membership thingy. oh gee, i forgot that they sent me some sort of velcro straps to evaluate........i evaluated them into the garbage can. steer clear of this company as there are way better magazines out there that you can actually get delivered regularly. btw, when i told this rip-off company that i wanted to stop my lifetime membership they insisted on charging me $50.00 for the membership so far. mind you that this is for 2 magazines and a pair of loppers that i can get at big lots for $3.99.

I have been an annual member of the NHGC since it's inception. I continue to renew because I am a gardening magazine junkie, and while I don't consider this the cadillac of mags, I enjoy certain aspects of the magazine ; seed exchange, best new plants of the year, member's photos, etc.
I am frequently badgered to become a lifetime member and while I realize that they need money to continue their venture, I feel they waste a lot of money on the mail and telephone assaults.

I don't feel that they offer me anything else for the 'dues' that I pay besides the magazine. I probably will not renew again, but am sure that I will receive several phone calls and mailings during the next year that I am still an active member.

I have been a life member,at least 5 years,and I have the same experience as many,the `tools' you recieved for joining have been long gone,broken quickly,very cheaply made.
I too was plagued with the `Become a life member now'and seeing the great things you can try and keep after testing,well I was suckered in.
Since,I have recieved seeds,a rose,and bug spray.Nothing as the ads state,all who win the great priced items,well,good for you,at least someone is getting something.I have wrote and called many times,and havent been getting anything to try.Even the `Bonus' form where you would get 2 things to try in a year was false.If I could just get my `dues back'I would just gladly buy the mag elsewhere,this was way not worth it.
I can get free seed mags anywhere,wayside gardens has all the new things,as burpee,etc.I feel so ripped off!
Cindy

I joined up thinking there would be all kinds of new information in the magazine. I too started to recieve use less books. I wrote and told them 3 different times to stop sending the books. After the third time I called and threatened them. The post office told me I didn't have to return or pay for unsulited material. I informed them of this and they finally stopped sending. The have a mag call "Handy Man" also. I made the mystake of ordering it for my husband the same time I ordered the GARDENING HOW-TO MAGAZINE. They started send him woodworking books. He's great at wood working. He informed me it was less than beginner level and not to resubsrcibe.

Signed up for a year's membership and actually received four magazines, one hand spade that bent the first time I used it, some seeds I could have gotten for free from any gardener friend and an unsolicited hard cover book which I returned. Not what I consider good value for my money and although the mags were okay, they were pretty shallow for an experienced or serious gardener. All in all, I feel I have paid through the nose for a couple of magazines I probably would have not purchased after the first one (if buying from the news-stand). Did not renew my membership and would not consider rejoining this organization or doing business with this company under any circumstances.

I joined a few years back and after receiving a book I did not order realized this was not some company I desired to associate myself with.
They push the lifetime membership. According to their website it is $250!!!!!!!!!
The free pruner which I was supposed to get was switched and I was sent a cheap hand spade that bent the first time it hit dirt! I felt as if I had been misled and promptly decided not to renew my membership.

I have been a member for two years and have enjoyed the magazine. I have been getting more "junk" mail since joining, but not excessively and I enjoy looking through new and different stuff, if only to get an idea of what is out there. My only complaint would be the urgent messages to "become a lifetime member! Your time is running out!!" To be honest about it, I can't afford over $100 to join a gardening club.

I was a member a couple of years ago and found the membership to be dissapointing. I got some pruners that were so-so and a bunch of seeds that never grew and tons of membership stickers and notepads that I could care less about. What really annoyed me was that I somehow got on their mailing list for a book club. It was very difficult to get off the mailing list. The hardcover books were nice at first, but each one got smaller and was not worth the $20-$25 I had to pay for them. I started returning them, but this was a hassle to me. I did enjoy the magazine. This year I found that you could subscribe to the magazine without joining the club, so that is what I did.

I became a Life Member this year. The large number of tools I have rec'd look well constructed and hopefully will be useful next spring, and I really like the large gardening tote that came with them. I have used the clippers and large pruners and they were fine. I don't get a lot of junk mail or email. The magazine is nice, but also pretty light weight. I have rec'd 1 pack of lettuce seed, from Seed Savers Exchange, to test (I believe the rules say you can only test 1 product per year). I have used the website some, but since I spend so much time on DG, I don't have a lot of extra time. All in all, I'd say the price of the life membership has been worth what I've gotten and I have been satisfied with everything so far.

My only problem with this company is false advertising. I "joined" in 1998 for what was suppose to be a charter/lifetime membership. After I paid my dues, they sent me a "Membership Verification Card" indicating my membership expired in 1999. As for the "member" benefits:
GARDENING HOW-TO MAGAZINE: I actually liked it. It was pretty lightweight in terms of the in depth information it promised regarding the latest techniques and technology, but it had pretty pictures and was entertaining light reading.
PRODUCT TESTING PRIVILEGES: Never got them and suspect they don't even exist.
MEMBERSHIP CARD, DECALS, STICKERS, PATCHES: Ya right. Their advertising gimmicks are supposedly paid membership benefits?
UNBIASED REPORTS ON NEW PRODUCTS: Never got them. There were a few blurbs in the magazine but they read more like paid testimonials and were hardly for new products.
FREE DIECTORY OF PUBLIC GARDENS: Never got it.
SPECIAL PRODUCT OFFERS: Oh ya, these I definitely got. At least a couple times a week. Some of them were even the "you bought it unless you tell us no" kind, so I couldn't even just throw all their junk mail away.

Thing is, if they had just offered their magazine subscription for $12/year I probably would have bought it and still be buying it. But because they wouldn't be honest and up front about what they were really selling, I won't ever do business with that company again.

I tried it for a year. What I basically got was a magazine subsciption - any "product testing," other than a few small packets of free seeds, never materialized. The seeds were always small packets of baby's breath, red corn poppies, and the large-flowered sunflower seeds you grow for seed - most of them were sent when they tried to get me to join and again when they tried to get me to renew. Personally, I didn't find much of interest in the magazine, so I cancelled.

This is a great club for gardeners of all levels. The forum have great topics for discussions and everyone is so friendly. Also it's monitered so you don't have to worry about talking to some crazy person.

The product tests are awesome! I love trying new seeds and plants! It's so much fun!

The magazine is great too! As a gardener you are always learning and since I've been a member I've kept every issue that they've sent. I've enjoyed the club so much that I signed up as a life member so that I never miss anything.

I highly recommend this club to anyone who loves to garden and is looking for great information and a great club to join!

Just a warning to anyone joining this club on-line. The offered option of declining to have your name "shared" with a few vendors is put together such that it is very easy to default to the option of giving them permission to share (do they mean sell?) your name. Since joining, my mailbox has ben jammed with not only any catalog even vaguely related to gardening, but some relating to apparel and furniture. There have been dozens. When I joined the American Rose Society last November, I was very pleased by the fact that my name, address, and e-mail were not shared. If you do not want to be bombarded, tread carefully if you want to join but opt out of mailings.

The magazine is not worth the paper it is printed on. My 5 year old could do better. The pruners couldn't cut butter. And if you are chosen to test something, it will most likely be bad seeds. I gave it a year and cancelled. I would have only paid for a year, but they somehow cashed my check TWICE and instead of giving me my money back, they extended my subscription. So then I not only had a messed up checking account, but a magazine I threw away on my way in from the mailbox. This was a very disappointing experience. I would not recommend it to anyone.

This is a great site. You will never know what you will learn just by reading all the posts in the forums area. Even though I live in Florida, I read hints given for everywhere as you will never know what you will find that will work down here as well. Post a question and you will get an answer most often within a day if not sooner by one or more of the gardeners that are also members.

I am a life member with NHGC and it is the best thing that ever happened to my garden! I have learned more there as a member than anywhere else and I have made some wonderful friends. The magazine is very imformative and I keep them all for future reference material. I would advise anyone interested in gardening to check them out and join.

I have been a member of NHGC for a while now and I really love it. Everyone is so nice and helpful there. I am proud to be a member of NHGC.

As a Life Member of the National Home Gardening Club, I have been very pleased with the opportunities, products, and information that they have provided. The magazine (Gardening How-To) is informative and attractive. The forums are a great place to gather information from fellow gardeners who may have more experience in a particular area than I do.

Upon completing payment, I received a high-quality set of gardening tools which I use regularly, and which I would probably have paid at least the price of membership for (if not more) in a retail setting. Another great perk is the product evaluation program, which allows members to review products and keep them at no cost. The only requirement is that an evaluation is completed and returned to the Club.

My membership at the NHGC has helped me to grow and learn as a gardener in a way I could not have done otherwise. I would highly recommend this club to any gardener, novice or otherwise.

I have been a member of the NHGC since 1996. It has been a wonderful 8 years. The staff is fast and courteous, I have received many items to test over the years for new companies, and for the most part all of the items were top notch!
I have learned many new things and found many friends as well. I didnt come to the online site until much later, where I found the Click & Win area. Last year I won a greenhouse!
There are so many pros to this club that I couldn't begin to list them all here. So come on over and check them out.

I've been a member of the National Home Gardening Club since April of 2000. Four years of receiving their great magazine each month and getting to test products free. I like their website and on-line Member Forums, too. I've met many nice gardeners through my membership. I've become a better gardener and have learned so much because of my membership and the benefits that come with it. It's nice to see that they are now listed on Garden Watchdog & can be rated. I plan to continue my membership for many years.

I have been a member of this club for over a year. Their membership dues are VERY reasonable, and include a great magazine and the opportunity to test garden products. My dealings with their customer service reps have been extremely pleasant. The free hand pruners I received when I joined were very good quality. They have an excellent website for members. All in all a very positive experience!